On the one hand, I’m thinking that everybody involved with the Astana cycling team is pile of stinking garbage. After all, we have questionable characters such as Tyler Hamilton and Alexandre Vinokourov, both of whom have been booted from teams and tours for allegedly doping (gotta put the “alleged” in there, cuz otherwise it’s libel or something right? Cuz it’s just not true that they were doped, right? Right?). And I know that Vino isn’t even on the team, since he’s retired. At least until the Olympics. Then there’s Alberto Contador, who I’d like to believe is going to be some amazing phenom since he won the Tour last year and the Giro this year, but how many riders in their early 20s just take off and start winning Grand Tours? Hmmmm… Don’t get me started on Johan Bruyneel, who has a new book out called We Might As Well Be Doped or something like that. Forget about Levi Leipheimer. He’s the Nice Boy posterchild. Hard working, as American as apple pie and all that, but he had his chances and he ain’t gonna win anything. Whatever, that’s another post for another time.

On the other hand, I like Chris Horner and I don’t know why. His interviews make him seem genuine. He laughs and jokes around and seems like a real person. And he’s never placed high enough in anything to make me think he’s doping. So when I saw this out there, I thought “Way to go, dude. That shows a little class.” As it turns out, the Astana team came to the US for the Cascade Classic bike race. So much for Bruyneel’s idea of riding the Tour de France route in reverse in protest of not being let into the Tour… But back to the current post. Chris Horner apparently came across another racer who had crashed and was in bad shape so he did what we all used to do. Need a ride? Hop on back, I’ll pedal you to where we’re both going. No shit, Horner had the other rider jump on his saddle with his bike, and he pedalled the guy the final kilometers to the finish line! Uphill. Both ways. In the snow, barefoot and shit. AND HE LIKED IT!!!